Lifesaving equipment to be used for structures



1967 JISABURO SAITA ETAL 3,301,347

LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT TO BE USED FOR STRUCTURES Filed Oct. 15, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I 200 INVENTORS JIS-HBURO sn/TA HHRUO Sfl/TH J 1967 JISABURO SAITA ETAL 3,301,347

LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT TO BE USED FOR STRUCTURES Filed Oct. 15, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JISHBURU 5FHTH HHRUO 5mm 1 3.

JISABURO SAITA ETAL 3,301,347

Jan. 31, 1967 LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT TO BE USED FOR STRUCTURES Fil ed Oct. 15. 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS J/SHBURU SH/TA I HHRUO SHIT/J B MM MM W,

United States Patent C) 3,301,347 LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT TO BE USED FOR STRUCTURES Jisaburo Saita and Haruo Saita, both of 3 3-chome, Tokyo, Japan Filed Oct. 15, 1964, Ser. No. 404,041 4 Claims. (Cl. 18248) This invention relates to lifesaving equipments to be used for structures or specifically for buildings. One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a lifesaving equipment provided with a rotary frame device which will be automatically quickly ready for escape by only dropping and stretching a lifesaving chute onto the ground in an emergency without requiring any such operation as fixing the upper end opening of the tubular lifesaving chute to the building, as in a conven tional equipment.

Another principal object of the present invention is to provide a lifesaving equipment wherein the rotary frame device is combined with a lifesaving chute which not only does not obstruct the escaper from sliding down but is also increased in rigidity in the bottom part so that the narrowing of the bottom part, in climbing up the chutes may be decreased and climbing in the chute may be easy.

A further principal object of the present invention is to provide a lifesaving equipment wherein said rotary frame device is combined with a lifesaving chute whose lower end opening can reach any expected point at once.

A still further principal object of the present invention is to provide a lifesaving equipment wherein the rotary frame device is combined with a lifesaving chute through which communications can be positively made between ends without using loud voices.

In the drawings illustrating some embodiments of the present invention,

FIG. 1 is a side view of an entire lifesaving equipment of the present invention as folded;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of only a rotary frame device as folded;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lifesaving equipment as being used;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rotary frame device as being used as in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower end part of the lifesaving chute as being used.

The lifesaving equipment according to the present invention comprises a rotary frame device 100, as particularly illustrated in FIG. 2, whose base or upright frame 101 is fixed to a floor F near a window in a building, or inside an outer wall or fence W on a roof, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and a lifesaving chute 200 whose opening at one end is fixed to a rotary frame in the rotary frame device and which is normally kept folded in the rear of, or within,

rotary frame device 100.

To the upper substantially horizontal legs of the substantially rectangular base frame 101 is rotatably fitted a bridging frame 102 through a pair of hinges 103. Bridging frame 102 has a roller 104 at its free end and is normally suspended as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Further rotatably and erectably supported on base frame 101, through a pair of hinges 106, is a rotary frame unit 105 which is normally suspended. Rotary frame unit 105 comprises a substantially triangular frame component 107, which can rotate from the suspended position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 and can stop in the erected position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, an intermediate frame 108 rotatably fitted to the supporting frame 107 through a pair of hinges 109, a third, or lifesaving bag fixing, frame 110 rotatably fitted to intermediate frame 108 through a pair of hinges 111 and a pair of tension means, such as wire ropes 112, to be stretched between the supporting I Patented Jan. 31, 1967 frame 107 and the lifesaving chute fixing frame when the device is in the using position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. When the device is in the above mentioned using position, the intermediate frame 108 will be supported on theroller 104 of the bridging frame 102, and bridging frame 102 will be horizontally supported over the window by a pair of stoppers or ledges 113 in the upper part of the base frame 101.

To the lifesaving chute fixing frame 110 is fixed a lifesaving chute body 201, as shown in FIGURES l and 3, so as to be kept open at one end. To the other end of said lifesaving chute body 201 are fixed at least a pair of loops of ropes 202 as shown in FIGURES l and 5. Therefore, when the lifesaving chute body 201 is in the using state, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the lifesaving chute body will be kept open by the tension given to the ropes 202. But, when the chute body is kept folded as in FIG. 1, the pair of ropes 202 will be separably tied to a weight 204 to be thrown through another rope 203 attached'to the weight. Therefore, in the case of such emergency as an earthquake or fire, if an escaper throws down the weight 204 to any proper outdoor point, the lifesaving chute bod 201 will extend outdoors following the weight and finally the rotary frame unit and therefore the bridging frame 102 will be also rotated and unfolded by the weight of the chute, to the unfolded position or using position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, from the folded position shown in FIGURES l and 2.

As soon as the lower end of the lifesaving chute body 201 reaches the expected point on the ground, the thrown weight 204 will be removed and the two ropes 202 will be separated from each other and will be anchored to anchors A embedded in the ground and normally closed with covers C, such as often seen in streets in cities, through hooks 206 fixed to the shafts of pulleys 205 belonging to the respective ropes, as shown in FIG. 5, by any people on the ground.

A comparatively rigid net 208 is stitched to the outside of the bottom 207 of the lifesaving chute body 201 so as to contract in the longitudinal direction of the chute body. In a conventional lifesaving chute, when it is to be climbed for rescue and/or extinguishing a fire, the bottom of the chute will lower deeply under the weight of the person, will be in the form of a V in the entire cross-section, will be narrow, will be slippery and will be therefore very difficult to climb. However, with net 208, the bottom of the chute will not be narrow and slippery.

Further, electric wires 209 and/or a speaking tube 210 can be passed through the lifesaving chute body 201 so that communications may be positively made between both ends.

What we claim is:

1. An emergency escape device comprising, in combination, an upright frame arranged to be mounted just inside a building exterior wall adjacent an exterior access, and including a pair of substantially rectangular upright side components, having substantially horizontal legs, and having an open inner end between said side components; a rotatable frame including a supporting frame component which is substantially triangular in lateral elevation and has a substantially rectangular base, and which is pivotally supported on said upper legs, intermediate the ends thereof, for swinging about a horizontal axis extending between said upper legs along an edge of said base; said supporting frame component being normally suspended within said upright frame for swinging upwardly through said open inner end to an upright position in which the free portion of said base is supported on a substantially horizontal rail interconnecting the outer ends of said upper legs; said rotatable frame further including an intermediate substantially rectangular U-shaped frame component having its legs pivotally connected to a cross member of said supporting frame component and a third substantially rec- 3 tangular U-shaped frame component having its legs pivotally connected to the bight of said intermediate frame component; means connected to said upright frame and arran ed to engage said intermediate frame component, adjacent the free end of the latter, and to support the latter in an extended substantially horizontal orientation when said supporting frame component is upright; flexible tension means connecting the bight of said third frame component to that end of said supporting frame component which is uppermost in the upright position of the latter, said tension means having a length such as to maintain said third frame component substantially horizontal when the latter is extended from the extended intermediate frame component; and an escape chute connected to said third frame component so as to have its upper end maintained opened, said chute being normally folded and stacked, inwardly of said upright frame, and, when thrown through said exterior access, pivoting said rotatable frame to the upright and component-extended position.

2. An emergency escape device, as claimed in claim 1, in which said means arranged to engage said intermediate frame component comprises a substantially rectangular U-shaped frame member having itslegs pivotally connected to the inner ends of said upper legs and normally suspended from its pivot connection; the upper end of said chute, in the folded condition of said chute, extending beneath the bight of said frame member .within said upright frame whereby said frame member is pivoted to an extended position when said chute is thrown through said exterior axis; and ledge means on said upright frame arranged to engage the legs of said frame member when the latter is swung upwardly and outwardly by said chute, to restrain said frame member to a substantially horizontal orientation.

3. An emergency escape device, as claimed in claim 2, including a relatively elongated roller extending along the bight of said frame member and rotatable on the bight of said frame member.

4. An emergency escape device, as claimed in claim 1, including stiffening means extending along that wall of the chute which is lowermost when the chute is extended, to stiffen such lowermost wall to facilitate climbing of said chute.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 192,500 6/1877 Goble 18248 275,023 4/1883 Schuett 182-48 631,124 8/1899 Perpente 18122 952,315 3/1910 Erwin 181-48 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,663 5/1884 Great Britain. 22,318 10/ 1911 Great Britain.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN EMERGENCY ESCAPE DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN UPRIGHT FRAME ARRANGED TO BE MOUNTED JUST INSIDE A BUILDING EXTERIOR WALL ADJACENT AN EXTERIOR ACCESS, AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR UPRIGHT SIDE COMPONENTS, HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL LEGS, AND HAVING AN OPEN INNER END BETWEEN SAID SIDE COMPONENTS; A ROTATABLE FRAME INCLUDING A SUPPORTING FRAME COMPONENT WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR IN LATERAL ELEVATION AND HAS A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR BASE, AND WHICH IS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID UPPER LEGS, INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, FOR SWINGING ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID UPPER LEGS ALONG AN EDGE OF SAID BASE; SAID SUPPORTING FRAME COMPONENT BEING NORMALLY SUSPENDED WITHIN SAID UPRIGHT FRAME FOR SWINGING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPEN INNER END TO AN UPRIGHT POSITION IN WHICH THE FREE PORTION OF SAID BASE IS SUPPORTED ON A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL RAIL INTERCONNECTING THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID UPPER LEGS; SAID ROTATABLE FRAME FURTHER INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR U-SHAPED FRAME COMPONENT HAVING ITS LEGS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO A CROSS MEMBER OF SAID SUPPORTING FRAME COMPONENT AND A THIRD SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR U-SHAPED FRAME COMPONENT HAVING ITS LEGS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE BIGHT OF SAID INTERMEDIATE FRAME COMPONENT; MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID UPRIGHT FRAME AND ARRANGED TO ENGAGE SAID INTERMEDIATE FRAME COMPONENT, ADJACENT THE FREE END OF THE LATTER, AND TO SUPPORT THE LATTER IN AN EXTENDED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL ORIENTATION WHEN SAID SUPPORTING FRAME COMPONENT IS UPRIGHT; FLEXIBLE TENSION MEANS CONNECTING THE BIGHT OF SAID THIRD FRAME COMPONENT TO THAT END OF SAID SUPPORTING FRAME COMPONENT WHICH IS UPPERMOST IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION OF THE LATTER, SAID TENSION MEANS HAVING A LENGTH SUCH AS TO MAINTAIN SAID THIRD FRAME COMPONENT SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL WHEN THE LATTER IS EXTENDED FROM THE EXTENDED INTERMEDIATE FRAME COMPONENT; AND AN ESCAPE CHUTE CONNECTED TO SAID THIRD FRAME COMPONENT SO AS TO HAVE ITS UPPER END MAINTAINED OPENED, SAID CHUTE BEING NORMALLY FOLDED AND STACKED, INWARDLY OF SAID UPRIGHT FRAME, AND, WHEN THROWN THROUGH SAID EXTERIOR ACCESS, PIVOTING SAID ROTATABLE FRAME TO THE UPRIGHT AND COMPONENT-EXTENDED POSITION. 